the spirit of laws-第41章

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As　China　grows　every　day　more　populous；　notwithstanding　the　exposing　of　children；＇36＇　the　inhabitants　are　incessantly　employed　in　tilling　the　lands　for　their　subsistence。　This　requires　a　very　extraordinary　attention　in　the　government。　It　is　their　perpetual　concern　that　every　man　should　have　it　in　his　power　to　work；　without　the　apprehension　of　being　deprived　of　the　fruits　of　his　labour。　Consequently　this　is　not　so　much　a　civil　as　a　domestic　government。

Such　has　been　the　origin　of　those　regulations　which　have　been　so　greatly　extolled。　They　wanted　to　make　the　laws　reign　in　conjunction　with　despotic　power；　but　whatever　is　joined　to　the　latter　loses　all　its　force。　In　vain　did　this　arbitrary　sway；　labouring　under　its　own　inconveniences；　desire　to　be　fettered；　it　armed　itself　with　its　chains；　and　has　become　still　more　terrible。

China　is　therefore　a　despotic　state；　whose　principle　is　fear。　Perhaps　in　the　earliest　dynasties；　when　the　empire　had　not　so　large　an　extent；　the　government　might　have　deviated　a　little　from　this　spirit；　but　the　case　is　otherwise　at　present。

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1。　See　Plutarch　in　Timoleon　and　Dion。

2。　It　was　that　of　the　Six　Hundred；　of　whom　mention　is　made　by　Diodorus；　xix。　5。

3。　Upon　the　expulsions　of　the　tyrants；　they　made　citizens　of　strangers　and　mercenary　troops；　which　gave　rise　to　civil　wars。　　Aristotle；　Politics；　v。　3。　The　people　having　been　the　cause　of　the　victory　over　the　Athenians；　the　republic　was　changed。　　Ibid。；　4。　The　passion　of　two　young　magistrates；　one　of　whom　carried　off　the　other's　boy；　and　in　revenge　the　other　debauched　his　wife；　was　attended　with　a　change　in　the　form　of　this　republic。　　Ibid。

4。　Ibid。

5。　Ibid。

6。　The　aristocracy　is　changed　into　an　oligarchy。

7。　Venice　is　one　of　those　republics　that　has　enacted　the　best　laws　for　correcting　the　inconveniences　of　an　hereditary　aristocracy。

8。　Justin　attributes　the　extinction　of　Athenian　virtue　to　the　death　of　Epaminondas。　Having　no　further　emulation；　they　spent　their　revenues　in　feasts；　frequentius　coenam；　quam　castra　visentes。　Then　it　was　that　the　Macedonians　emerged　from　obscurity；　9；　1。　6。

9。　Compilation　of　works　made　under　the　Mings；　related　by　Father　Du　Halde；　Description　of　China；　ii；　p。　648。

10。　During　the　reign　of　Tiberius　statues　were　erected　to；　and　triumphal　ornaments　conferred　on；　informers；　which　debased　these　honours　to　such　a　degree　that　those　who　had　really　merited　them　disdained　to　accept　them。　Frag。　of　Dio；　lviii。　14；　taken　from　the　Extract　of　Virtues　and　Vices；　by　Constantine　Porphyrogenitus。　See　in　Tacitus　in　what　manner　Nero；　on　the　discovery　and　punishment　of　a　pretended　conspiracy；　bestowed　triumphal　ornaments　on　Petronius　Turpilianus；　Nerva；　and　Tigellinus。　　Annals；　xiv。　72。　See　likewise　how　the　generals　refused　to　serve；　because　they　condemned　the　military　honours：　pervulgatis　triumphi　insignibus　　Ibid。；　xiii。　53。

11。　In　this　state　the　prince　knew　extremely　well　the　principle　of　his　government。

12。　Herodian。

13。　Aristotle；　Politics；　ii。　10。

14。　They　always　united　immediately　against　foreign　enemies；　which　was　called　Syncretism。　　Plutarch　Moralia；　p。　88。

15。　Republic；　ix。

16。　Plutarch；　Whether　a　Man　Advanced　in　Years　Ought　to　Meddle　with　Public　Affairs。

17。　Republic；　v。

18。　The　Gymnic　art　was　divided　into　two　parts；　dancing　and　wrestling。　In　Crete　they　had　the　armed　dances　of　the　Curetes；　at　Sparta　they　had　those　of　Castor　and　Pollux；　at　Athens　the　armed　dances　of　Pallas；　which　were　extremely　proper　for　those　that　were　not　yet　of　age　for　military　service。　Wrestling　is　the　image　of　war；　said　Plato　Laws；　vii。　He　commends　antiquity　for　having　established　only　two　dances；　the　pacific　and　the　Pyrrhic。　See　how　the　latter　dance　was　applied　to　the　military　art；　Plato；　ibid。

19。　Aut　libidinosce。　Lad？as　Lacedamonis　pal？stras。　　Mutual；　iv；　55。

20。　Plutarch；　in　the　treatise　entitled　Questions　Concerning　the　Affairs　of　the　Romans；　question　40。

21。　Ibid。

22。　Plutarch；　Table　Propositions；　book　ii；　question　5。

23。　Book　i；　pref。

24。　Livy；　iii。　20。

25。　Ibid。；　32。

26。　About　a　hundred　years　after。

27。　See　xi；　12。

28。　See　Dio；　xxxviii；　Cicero　in　Plutarch；　Cicero　to　Atticus；　iv。　10；　15。　Asconius　on　Cicero；　De　Divinatione。

29。　As　when　a　petty　sovereign　supports　himself　between　two　great　powers　by　means　of　their　mutual　jealousy；　but　then　he　has　only　a　precarious　existence。

30。　See　M。　Le　Clerc；　the　History　of　the　United　Provinces。

31。　〃It　is　the　cudgel　that　governs　China；〃　says　Father　Du　Halde；　Disc。　de　la　Chine；　ii；　p。　134。

32。　Among　others；　De　Lange's　account。

33。　Of　the　Family　of　Sourniama；　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xviii。

34。　See　in　Father　Du　Halde　how　the　missionaries　availed　themselves　of　the　authority　of　Canhi　to　silence　the　mandarins；　who　constantly　declared　that　by　the　laws　of　the　country　no　foreign　worship　could　be　established　in　the　empire。

35。　See　Lettres　persanes；　210。

36。　See　the　order　of　Tsongtou　for　tilling　the　land；　in　the　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xxi。




Book　IX。　Of　Laws　in　the　Relation　They　Bear　to　a　Defensive　Force

1。　In　what　Manner　Republics　provide　for　their　Safety。　If　a　republic　be　small；　it　is　destroyed　by　a　foreign　force；　if　it　be　large；　it　is　ruined　by　an　internal　imperfection。

To　this　twofold　inconvenience　democracies　and　aristocracies　are　equally　liable；　whether　they　be　good　or　bad。　The　evil　is　in　the　very　thing　itself；　and　no　form　can　redress　it。

It　is；　therefore；　very　probable　that　mankind　would　have　been；　at　length；　obliged　to　live　constantly　under　the　government　of　a　single　person；　had　they　not　contrived　a　kind　of　constitution　that　has　all　the　internal　advantages　of　a　republican；　together　with　the　external　force　of　a　monarchical；　government。　I　mean　a　confederate　republic。

This　form　of　government　is　a　convention　by　which　several　petty　states　agree　to　become　members　of　a　larger　one；　which　they　intend　to　establish。　It　is　a　kind　of　assemblage　of　societies；　that　constitute　a　new　one；　capable　of　increasing　by　means　of　further　associations；　till　they　arrive　at　such　a　degree　of　power　as　to　be　able　to　provide　for　the　security　of　the　whole　body。

It　was　these　associations　that　so　long　contributed　to　the　prosperity　of　Greece。　By　these　the　Romans　attacked　the　whole　globe；　and　by　these　alone　the　whole　globe　withstood　them；　for　when　Rome　had　arrived　at　her　highest　pitch　of　grandeur；　it　was　the　associations　beyond　the　Danube　and　the　Rhine　　associations　formed　by　the　terror　of　her　arms　　that　enabled　the　barbarians　to　resist　her。

Hence　it　proceeds　that　Holland；＇1＇　Germany；　and　the　Swiss　cantons　are　considered　in　Europe　as　perpetual　republics。

The　associations　of　cities　were　formerly　more　necessary　than　in　our　times。　A　weak；　defenceless　town　was　exposed　to　greater　danger。　By　conquest　it　was　deprived　not　only　of　the　executive　and　legislative　power；　as　at　present；　but　moreover　of　all　human　property。＇2＇

A　republic　of　this　kind；　able　to　withstand　an　external　force；　may　support　itself　without　any　internal　corruption；　the　form　of　this　society　prevents　all　manner　of　inconveniences。

If　a　single　member　should　attempt　to　usurp　the　supreme　power；　he　could　not　be　supposed　to　have　an　equal　authority　and　credit　in　all　the　confederate　states。　Were　he　to　have　too　great　an　influence　over　one；　this　would　alarm　the　rest；　were　he　to　subdue　a　part；　that　which　would　still　remain　free　might　oppose　him　with　forces　independent　of　those　which　he　had　usurped；　and　overpower　him　before　he　could　be　settled　in　his　usurpation。

Should　a　popular　insurrection　happen　in　one　of　the　confederate　states；　the　others　are　able　to　quell　it。　Should　abuses　creep　into　one　part；　they　are　reformed　by　those　that　remain　sound。　The　state　may　be　destroyed　on　one　side；　and　not　on　the　other；　the　confederacy　may　be　dissolved；　and　the　confederates　preserve　their　sovereignty。

As　this　government　is　composed　of　petty　republics；　it　enjoys　the　internal　happiness　of　each；　and　with　regard　to　its　external　situation；　by　means　of　the　association；　it　possesses　all　the　advantages　of　large　monarchies。

2。　That　a　confederate　Government　ought　to　be　composed　of　States　of　the　same　Nature；　especially　of　the　republican　Kind。　The　Canaanites　were　destroyed　by　reason　that　the